Bassoonarama 12/19/22 Sudler Hall

 Bassoonarama is back baby. Professor Frank Morelli’s band of merry Christmas low-enders basswooned the crowd with their annual holiday recital. Check that, the pandemic upended the low end for the past few years, but the intrepid Professor powered through. Six bassoon students and Frank showed their stuff to a raucous packed house. The theme was “ and now for something completely different”, starting with Sousa’s The Liberty Bell March, more commonly associated as the Monty Python theme song. Next up was a passage from Rigoletto and then The Nutcracker. For those of you not familiar with the bassoon, the loping sound graces the movements of many a cartoon turtle. The next section had some early American pieces, Go Tell It On The Mountain, Amen, and Mary’s Boy Child. Back to some passages from Rigoletto and The Nutcracker, I was struck by the difference in embouchure of the players. The truly diverse (race and gender) cast of musicians mouth  positions ranged from a suck on a lemon pucker to a Gillespian peep frog affair. Closed the evening with the Latin tinged Mi Burrito Sabanero and Jose Feliciano’s Feliz Navidad. This recital has become an oddball holiday tradition for me, and I am truly grateful for the access. Judging from the crowd, next year’s concert would be wise to move next door to Sprague Hall. This is feel good music and I could feel the smiles behind the masks.

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio 12/13/22 Spaceland

 Praise the almighty algorithm! Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio (DLO3), you know em? Me neither. About a month prior to this show, my feed was barraged with “hey crew, we’re just back from our Europe leg of the tour and are jonesing to see our friends in the states”, “ get ready for some booty-shake blend of 1960s soul-jazz, slinky Nawlins funk, with a splash of acid-rock guitar” top that with some cool graphics and the algorithm worked. I was pointed to this show, and rightly so. Packed house to see Lamarr on organ (Hammond B-3 to be exact), Jimmy James on guitar, and Thunderfoot McDonagh on drums. The set was already underway when I arrived, searing instrumentals with great interplay between guitar and organ. DLO3 were all technical wizards and could have easily played the phone book, thankfully they stuck to funk and soul classics for a thoroughly enjoyable listen. Move on Up by Curtis Mayfield, Can’t Hide Love by Earth Wind and Fire, Marvin Gaye’s Inner City Blues, Ain’t It Funky Now by James Brown, and a Jackson Five tune that I couldn’t place were all expertly rendered in an instrumental soul vibe. James was a sight, a big fella whose afro scraped the house lights, that delighted an equally large Lamarr who had the benefit of sitting at his instrument. In addition to the setlist, song snippets tastefully layered in, made this music nerds head spin. I heard Bad Moon Rising, Seven Nation Army, Africa, Purple Haze, even a little tease of A Love Supreme! While James didn’t play left handed, upside down, like his fellow Seattle axe-wielding namesake, his picking was uncanny. He had a penchant for jumping time signatures and forcing the others to do likewise. The originals were less interesting, but with titles like Close But No Cigar and Al Greenish, they kept the groove flowing. We (I?) often deride the algorithm as some evil Zuckerbergian form of mind control, but I’m glad on this evening I was drawn like a moth to a funky flame.

Twisted Pine w/ Moonrise Cartel 11/29/22Cafe 9

Moonrise Cartel is a local folk outfit featuring lead man on acoustic and vocals, a Nicolette Larson look and sound-alike woman on backing vocals, keyboards, and fiddle. The singer had a booming voice, he sounded like Neil Diamond with a hoodie. Fiddle player had some nice jammy fills and the guy-girl vocal duets shined in spots. Their set closer Seeing Ghosts was a good warmup for Twisted Pine. TP is a Boston based new grass quartet that brought the goods. Kathleen Parks was the lead singer and played fiddle. Big guy Chris Sartori on standup bass did most of the talking between songs, Dan Bui on mandolin, and a young woman named Anh Phung on flute. I’m checking them by name because their gender and ethnicity highlighted the exoticism of their sound. Parks and Sartori were Caucasian while Phung and Bui were Asian or Amerasian. Bui was tiny and he looked like Tattoo from Fantasy Island, because of his stature, the mandolin looked like a Gibson hollow body in his hands (think Bill Halley or Wes Montgomery). The flute is not standard in a bluegrass band, and Phung’s addition enabled attempts on multiple genres. The set didn’t disappoint. The first tune was an instrumental that almost barfily veered into Celtic Woman territory. After that the set took off, Elizabeth Cotten’s Freight Train, Cold Rain and Snow, and a country tune sung by Chris were all excellent bluegrass renditions. Bui took control of a Beatles mash where Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds birthed an excellent Dear Prudence tease. Some nice originals, including top Spotify hit Papaya, showed that this band is itching to cross boundaries away from traditional bluegrass. Having said that, I was still awestruck when Chris announced “ now we’re gonna play a Frank Zappa tune”. They launched into a perfect Peaches En Regalia, with that group of instrumentation, had me smiling from ear to ear, as I was probably the only Zappa fan in attendance. A colleague said that Parks cut her teeth on the NY City Irish session scene but was ostracized for not sticking to the script. Closed with a funky cover of Bill Withers Use Me.

Marco Benevento 11/18/22 Spaceland

Marco has been positively reviewed in this blog many times. Unfortunately, the blog was not around when I sat on a young Marco Benevento’s speaker and watched over his shoulder as he madly plunked piano, organ, and all manner of keyboards, including a Playskool Baby, Baby grand at a late night session in a sweaty ski lodge. Onstage with his musical life partner Joe Russo on drums, the Duo, as they were, manned the door at the dawning of the Jam revolution. At that time, a young Marco soaked in a variety of jazz, blues, and pop influences. Fast forward to today, Russo and Benevento head up the Grateful Dead cover outfit JRAD (Joe Russo’s Almost Dead). Occasionally, as on this evening, Marco gets free from JRAD, and takes the stage to do his thing. I’ve likened Marco to a drug thieving Cheshire Cat, but I think he’s more of a cross between Rick Wakeman and Captain Jack Sparrow. Joined onstage by drummer, and fantastic young female bassist, the trio barreled through a set of originals, teases, and some clever covers. Bassist Karina is of indeterminate age. She could be anywhere between 15 and 35, although I did see her  3 years back, so 12 would be ridiculous. There is a 20 year trove of solo material to pull from and teases like Suzanne Vega’s Tom’s Diner were welcome. Some excellent almost disco passages made good use of the muscular bass. Show highlight was a frenetic cover of Harry Nilsson’s Jump Into The Fire.

Qwanqwa 11/16/22 Cafe 9

 Billed as an Ethiopian Supergroup, Qwanqwa is a little multicultural. Electric violinist Kathe Hostetter was in Boston based African outfit Debo Band, and was decidedly Caucasian. The remaining 4 from Ethiopia played electric Krar, bass electric krar, “traditional drums/percussion”, and vocals. The sound was back alley Addis Ababa trance funk. The krar looked like a table leg stuck into a Kleenex box and had one string. The man played it with a tree saw shaped bow and got amazing tones with vibrato. The electric bass krar was even better, it looked liked a cigar box welded to an upholstery-free frame of a wing back dining room chair. It had six strings, and the man used his fret hand fingers between the strings to slur amazing bass riffs. “ Traditional drums” was a sit down drum kit with a series of toms and mini congas. The diminutive drummer was all over this set, with sticks or hands, he propelled the groove. The singer was a fireplug, and reminded me of Chaka Khan, in regard to her hair:body ratio. She sang in her native tongue and gyrated and vibrated when she was involved. She had a chair that she’d retreat to on off tunes, which was good, her contribution was tiring. The electric violin, is an odd duck. At times I got a whiff of 90s crew Afro-Celt Soundsystem, others, the vibe was down right Jeanlucpontyesque in a gypsy trance style. The highlight was Mela Mela, translated as “we can solve this together”, a drum centric rave, capped with ululating yelps. I can’t help but think of the Warren Smith rockabilly chestnut Ubangi Stomp, wherein the protagonist, a hapless, slightly racist sailor gets entranced by “the natives doin an odd lookin skip”. When the Captain yells “son we gotta go”, to which the sailor responds “ that’s awright, you go right ahead, I’m gonna Ubangi Stomp till I roll over dead” Now I’m not implying Kathe is a racist or a sailor, but she has been bitten by the rhythm. It was nice to note that their touring makes an effort to play to underserved communities. Highly recommend this group, traditional yet modern sound.

Mike Doughty 11/5/22 Harbor Park

When this show first hit the radar, I chided Manic Productions as to their wisdom of having an outdoor show on the 5th of November. Seventy degree day and gorgeous weather, thanks climate change. Mike Doughty, the recovering heroin addict, the door man at The Knitting Factory at the height of the No-Wave downtown movement, and oh yeah, front man for the seminal beat-groove-funk vehicle Soul Coughing. The star burned bright for SC, 3 or 4 critically acclaimed slabs of literate pop released between 94-98. While Mike claims the SC experiment “almost killed him”, it sure produced a body of work that was tapped on this evening. Doughty is joined on stage by longtime compatriot Andrew “Scrap” Livingston on guitar. The two barrel through screwed down workings of SC songs and chestnuts from Doughty’s excellent post SC solo career. The arrangements were a treat for a super fan like me, never straying into the kitschy MTV Unplugged realm. Setlist included  27 Jennifers, White Lexus, Tremendous Brunettes, Shunned and Falsified, St Louise Is Listening, Blame, Circles, Super Bon Bon, Soft Serve,, Lazybones, How Many Cans, Sugar Free Jazz.  He played my favorite anthemic ode “Busting Up A Starbucks”, which I urge all readers to give a spin. Ended the show with an excellent “I Hear The Bells” and encored with “True Dreams of Wichita”. Doughty is a wordsmith and had some fun with an AI story writing app. An industrious artist, it seems that Mike has been writing a song a week and posting on his website for free dissemination. Thanks to Manic for believing in the weather and delivering an excellent free outdoor show.

Loudon Wainwright 10/27/22 Wall St. Theater Norwalk

 It’s been a long time since Loudon struck novelty gold with “Dead Skunk In The Middle of the Road”. Just turned 75, and a grandpa for the fourth time, Loudon brought the comic troubadour to this renovated historic venue. I’ve followed his career intently since the release of History in 1992, a near perfect recording by my estimation. The comedy camouflages biting lyricism  as it pertains to family and relationships. A notorious partier and womanizer, Loudon grew up in Westchester, the product of a country club 60s upbringing, in fact he opened with Westchester County. The setlist touched on most of his career but left out some obvious gems. No matter, I was happy to be in the front row for this solo performance. The setlist included Be Careful There’s a Baby in The House, The Swimming Song, The Picture (about his sister), I’d Rather Be Lonely, Four Mirrors, White Winos (about his mom), The Shit Song, High Wide and Handsome (from the Charlie Poole project), My Meds, One Wish, Family Vacation, and Lifetime Achievement. Loudon played acoustic, banjo, and even some ukulele. At one point, he picked up the iPad and read a hilarious description as to his wishes for his memorial service. As with any comedy inflected performance, audience “participation” plays a role. Whether it be heckling, or calling out song titles, you just know it will happen. On this evening, we were seated near the cackler ( not to be confused with her male counterpart, the bloviator). The cackler cackled, chimed in, and apparently knew Loudon. At one point, Loudon had to de-cackle this woman, a good song in the making. Closed with an excellent version of Primrose Hill.

Chris Forsyth Meg Baird w/ Junk Orbit 10/26/22 Cafe 9

 Junk Orbit is a guitar duo with New Haven’s Kryssi Battalene and another guitarist from MA. Happy to say I’ve watched Kryssi come of age as a guitarist. Whether it be the psych noodlings of Mountain Movers, the harder shrapnel of Headroom, or an experimental set as on this evening. Two acoustics, some effects pedals, Kryssi had some sort of a Nintendo box on her lap, gave rise to some long form drone fuzz. The music gave off an eerie documentary film score vibe.

Next up was Meg Baird. She played seated acoustic and keys. Joined onstage by Doug Mccombes (from Tortoise fame), Ryan Jewell ( from Ryley Walker) on drums, and a guitarist. Meg’s vocal style is fragile Celtic or brit-folk, kind of like Jacqui Mcshee (Pentangle), or Annie Haslem ( Renaissance). I have seen her previous ensemble, baroque pop , Espers. She started with a haunting, wordless vocal piece. Capable, but understated drums and bass kept  the music grounded as Meg’s voice floated in the rafters. Chris Forsyth hopped on stage for her final tune giving a two guitar attack.

Chris Forsyth is a seasoned guitarist from Philly. He has played for years as a hired gunslinger in the avant-garde circles in Brooklyn. Lately, Chris has been leaning in to hypnotic rock jams. I’ve read that he was mentored by none other than Richard Lloyd from Television. About a year ago, I saw him grace the stage with Jersey face-melters Garcia Peoples. The set was compact  and pulled heavy from his recent release Evolution Here We Come.

Celebrating Bowie 10/21/22 College Street Music Hall

 The enigma that was David Bowie, is worth celebrating, for so many reasons. Bowie the fashion icon, the white boy funk purveyor, the prog noodler, the Eno compatriot, the theatrical song cycler, is responsible for the soundtrack of many music fan’s youth. Mine included. So I was happy to view  this ragtag cadre of Bowie acolytes plow through 2 hours of hits. The cast of characters was curious; Todd Rundgren on guitar and vocals, Royston Langdon from the 90s indie outfit Spacehog on keys ,guitars, and vocals, Adrian Belew on guitar and vocals, Angelo Moore, lead singer for Fishbone, a non-famous rhythm section with bass, drums, keys/sax, and a bandleader with the unfortunate uni-moniker “Scrote” on guitar. The setlist was epic and expansive: Moonage Daydream, Young Americans, John I’m Only Dancing, Changes, Ziggy Stardust, Space Oddity, The Jean Genie, Rebel Rebel, Fame, Golden Years, Ashes to Ashes, Sound and Vision, Fashion, DJ, Stay, Hallo Spaceboy, I’m Afraid of Americans, Let’s Dance, ended with All The Young Dudes, and encored with Suffragette City and Heroes. I’m sure I’ve missed some, but you get the idea. Todd Rundgren is a fantastic artist who I’ve seen many times back in the day. If this blog started in the 80s, it may well have been named “Just Another Onionhead blog”, or The Sons of 1984. Todd took on the theatrical Bowie, hamming up Space Oddity and going through a variety of costume changes. Langdon sang Ziggy Stardust playing tasteful acoustic. Spacehog carried the glam mantle in the 90s, and Langdon gave off the aura of an aging indie star. Belew is a master on guitar and was the only one on stage with a direct line to Bowie. He played on the under the radar Lodger, from which DJ was the hit. Fishbone is a 90s ska-funk outfit from LA. Frenetic frontman Moore took on the fashion icon Bowie, by wearing a wide variety of garish costumes. He prowled the stage and hopped in to the crowd, looking like some Tasmanian devil poofter with a Bowie delivery. The near capacity crowd sang along, just as they did in the 70s, after popping that new Bowie cassette in their Datsun’s tape deck. Bowie was taken from us too soon, but his fan base remains.

Stick Men 10/12/22 Spaceland Ballroom

 Stick Men is the trio of Tony Levin on Chapman Stick, Pat Mastelloto drums, and Markus Reuter on something called a U-8. Reuter a Berlin based instrument builder/prog nerd concocted the 8 string day-glo axe of sorts. I mean it had 8 strings, hung around his neck, had a guitar neck, but produced a multitude of sounds. The Chapman Stick is a 12-string contraption that looks like a picket fence post. The sinister high and low end stew of progfunk was described by Mastelloto as pianos hanging around their necks. Levin and Mastelloto play (ed?) in the progenitor of prog King Crimson. Levin held down the low end of most of the Peter Gabriel records, netting him credits on over 100 million sold. Mastelloto could not have possibly screwed together the behemoth drum kit he whacked at last year’s KC Westville show (he’d need Spaceland to apply for an addition permit), but still managed to squeeze out a gong solo. Levin is a sight, 76 by my count, he’s chiseled, cue-balled, and a black moustache, he appears like a cross between Mr. Clean and Snidely Whiplash. When he plays the Stick, both hands spider the neck for a wash of sound that normally plays to arena crowds. Reuter seems thirty-ish with a thick German accent, but as an instrument builder, you can see why he’s pals with these guys. The crowd was gray and grizzled, packed house was made even more tight by having it a sit down affair. The fans bobbed in awe to the display. I did not realize the group’s fairly prodigious output, but they had plenty of material to choose from. Mainly warped instrumentals, but Levin actually sang on one tune. Good version of Crimson’s “Red”, with Reuter playing the Fripp part. Another song from Fripp’s excellent Exposure record is making me want to dig through the vinyl stacks and locate that one. Encores with perhaps my favorite King Crimson tune from the modern era, “Sheltering Sky” from Levin’s first toe in the Crimson output, 1981’s Discipline.

Club D’elf 9/23/22 Broad Brook Opera House

 First time at this historic venue, situated in a hidden section of EastWindsor. Built in 1892, this wooden structure has had a recent facelift complete with a sidewall mural depicting rock legends John Lennon, Bob Marley and others. Club D’elf is a loose collective of groove masters that have been wowing audiences with their original blend of Moroccan-dub-electronica-trance-fusion for the past twenty years. I’m pretty sure they are based in Cambridge MA, as I see them listed as the house band of The Lizard Lounge. Constant member Mike Rivard plays bass and Moroccan sintir a 3-string lute was joined onstage by Dave Fiuczynski on double neck electric guitar, Dean Johnson on drums, Paul Schultheis on organ mellotron and clavinet, and a character named Mister Rourke on turntables. The quintet weave their trance improv tunes over computer breaks and beats to produce this unclassifiable music. You know I listen to a lot of music when I was able to spot the drummer’s wordless vocal intro as a cover of Trilok Gurtu’s 1-2 Beaucoup from his excellent The Glimpse release. Club D’elf’s new album, You Never Know is great and pays homage to some influences, notably In A Silent Way/It’s About That Time by Miles Davis and King Kong by Frank Zappa. Unfortunate that more people didn’t attend this show.

Sugar Hill Gang 9/23/22 Harbor Park Middletown

 Rapper’s Delight by the Sugar Hill Gang is arguably the Rosetta Stone for rap and hip hop. Released in 1979, the song has sold over 8 million copies and has birthed countless careers. So it was with glee I trekked to Harbor Park to get a glimpse of history. On this evening, original gang member Master Gee is joined by relative newcomer Hen Dog, another rapper on loan from Grandmaster Flash, and MC T Dynasty on samples and beats. The crew has a fleshed out set that doesn’t disappoint. They play secondary hits like Apache and a great rendition of Grandmaster Flash’ The Message. Master Gee hops into the crowd for some fan karaoke of funk and soul chestnuts from the past, James Brown, The Jackson 5, Public Enemy all had the fans singing. Next up was a tribute to fallen rap heroes with tunes by the likes of Biz Markie. A Prince tribute offered a nice take on Purple Rain. The diverse crowd, in age and ethnicity, erupted when Rapper’s Delight emerged. This concert was a free show put on by Manic Productions and was well attended for an unseasonably chilly evening.  As I was taking in this show, my mind drifted to the polarization in this country. At Harbor Park, there seemed to be no polarization, in fact peace, unity, and tolerance were in full view. Maybe we should swap out our national anthem, it’s boring, unsingable, and dated and replace it with Brick House by the Commodores.

Twiddle 9/15/22 Old State House Hartford

 First off, I want to apologize to Twiddle. I’ve “seen” this band countless times at the Vibes festival over the years. Not sure if it is the jam tapestry they weave or the heady scene associated with the show, but I rarely pay attention to the music being generated. This is by no means a knock on Twiddle, the Vermont based quartet has been steadily growing in popularity over the past decade, with hairy front man Mihali doing some interesting side projects. Whether it be the lack of “hits” (no pun intended), or the front and center jam improv of the group, their shows feel like more of a gathering than a concert, again, not a bad thing. Seems that some in Hartford governance want to make the city hip, and gave the Infinity Hall crew some cash to put on free shows behind the Old State House. A blocked off street with the stage and up front dancing area, food trucks and beer tents, a tree lined green space, and relaxed police presence, made for a comfortable venue to exist, with Twiddle playing in the background. The “Hartford Live” series has hosted Burning Spear and Dinosaur Jr., acts that are very worthy of a no cost viewing. I’d like to say that the next time I see Twiddle, I’ll be up front giving them their undivided attention, but I won’t. I’ll be in the back chatting. If I was in a room and confronted by Twiddle about my inattentiveness, I’d say that I often come to their shows…..for the feeling, which is a good thing.

Elkhorn w/ Drifting North 9/12/22 Neverending Books

 This is an open letter to ANYONE posting concert times on a website. Elkhorn was listed on the NEB website as starting at 6pm on 9/12. I appear at the venue at 610 only to learn that the music starts at 7, and there is an opener! To give y’all a picture of NEB, it is a dusty,musty, used bookshop selling water damaged copies of The South Beach Diet. The “performance” space is a glorified hallway with a small stage and twenty used office chairs picked up on the side of the road, not the type of venue to be 2 hours early.

Drifting North is group of local music nerds that do a pretty good angular guitar rock sound. Lead man on guitar/vocals, keys, lead guitar, bass, and excellent drumming. How did they fit you ask? Well, not really cuz the singer was in the doorway. It would have been a fire trap, but the diet books were probably still wet making for more of a smolder than a fire. Singer gave off a hint of Tom Waits. You know the band is local when they tell you their song “Up Around The Corner” was written for the “sketchy all-night Shell station”  on Willow St.

Elkhorn is the Philly duo of Drew Gardner electric guitar/keys and Jesse Sheppard on 12 string acoustic. On this evening, they were joined by a drummer who helped propel the sound. The rotten space was perfect for viewing this trio, and I was glad I stuck around. Gardner led the jams, while Sheppard and drummer shaded the background. The 12 string could  serve as bass, rhythm, or percussion depending on Jesse’s use of the effects pad. The wordless music was captivating and veered from Americana-ish passages that gave way to an almost Grand Funkian choogle. Look into this duo’s regular and acoustic “Storm Sessions” recordings, worth the wait.

Oliver Wood 9/11/22 CT Folkfest Edgerton Park

 If CT Folk had their fest in the woods and no one came, would it make a sound? The answer on this day is a definite “yes”.  Oliver Wood is the singer songwriting guitar playing brother of the Wood Brothers. With his bass playing brother Chris, TheWood Brothers have steadily increased their stature in the jam rock world. CT Folk was so excited to get Oliver to play the Fest, they were nervous about overcrowding and had him as TBA until 10 days before showtime. Sunday afternoon time slot, sketchy weather, and the fact that it was just Oliver, resulted in a lucky hundred music fans catching this great artist. Joined on stage by a bass player and drummer who also played keys, they were capable in support of the decidedly Wood Brothers set list. I’m a fan, and the songs didn’t disappoint. Tunes included: One More Day, Postcards From Hell, Luckiest Man, Chocolate On My Tongue, Atlas and closed with an excellent Buckets of Rain and Get Out My Life Woman. Oliver’s voice is like a broken in leather jacket, comfortable, familiar, and stylish.

The Mauskovic Dance Band 9/10/22 Cafe 9

 While driving down Orange St to this show, I passed an odd looking quartet of young men. Something about them, their clothes, their hair, just made clear they weren’t from around here. They weren’t, they were the Mauskovic Dance Band, an Amsterdam-based dance groove collective. The brainchild of Nikola Mauskovic, MDB consisted of drummer, guitar/bongos, bass, and synths/vocals. The music was a stew of Afro- Carribean rhythms mixed with dance dub disco beats. The vocals may have been Dutch, or gibberish, it didn’t seem to matter. The tunes ebbed and swelled with bongos and percussion, with squiggly synth lines and huge muscular bass. The bass player wore a Prince shirt which was apt. Nikola does double duty as drummer for the Turkish psych groove outfit Altin Gun. It became clear that no one in MDB spoke English, as it was tough for them to even eke out a Thank You. I marveled at the drive of four young men trotting the globe sharing their hypnotic groove, good show to an underwhelming crowd.

Wilco w/ Built To Spill 8/27/22 Westville Music Bowl

 Beautiful summer night for this great double bill. Built To Spill has been around since the 90s. It is the brainchild of guitar hero Doug Martsch. Martsch seems to kneel at the altar of J. Mascis and northwest grunge. Songs revolved around searing solos augmented by an effects table. Joined onstage by a young woman on bass and drummer. I read that the band is from Boise and made pilgrimages to Seattle. The bass was emblazoned with the message “apathy kills”. I’m not familiar with their “hits”, but give them props for staying consistent, and carrying the torch of this ancient genre.

Seems like just yesterday I attended an Uncle Tupelo show at Toads, it was actually 1982. Jeff Tweedy’s first band arguably put Americana on the map which was equal parts Johnny Cash and Dead Kennedys. A lifetime of music ensued, UT disbanded, Wilco was formed and an independent outlet for the musings of Tweedy has been ebbing and flowing ever since. This evening celebrated their recent release Cruel Country, a reference to the current dischord in the US. A truly career spanning set list was fed to the near capacity crowd. Oldies like Handshake Drugs, and I Am Trying To Break Your Heart through mid-period gems like Impossible Germany and California Stars with a smattering of the new record. Closed with a rousing I Got You (at the end of the century) and a rare reading of Kicking Television ( first performance since 2014). Tweedy sings and plays guitar, John Stirratt plays bass, Pat Sansone sings and plays guitar, Nels Cline brings otherworldly avant- guitar noodlouts, with keys, and drums this band packs a lot of sound. Always the smartass, Tweedy joked that he learned his crowd management skills at Yale under the tutelage of Professor David Lee Roth. Wilco has no hits, no significant radio airplay. What they do have is a rabid fan base. Wilco’s popularity is like a snowball rolling downhill ever since that Toads show.

Thundercat 8/16/22 College Street Music Hall

 Thundercat is the alter ego of Grammy winning bass virtuoso Stephen Bruner. He has recorded with the likes of Ariana Grande, Kamasi Washington, and regularly collaborates with Flying Lotus. Quite the C.V., is what got me to show and packed house. The setup was Thundercat on 6 string bass and effects, drums, and keys/organ. Thundercat has an unsettling falsetto that often got lost in the sound. The crowd was into it and seemed to know the words to most songs. The drummer had one gear, fast and loud, which was problematic on the slower croony parts. Most songs devolved into speedy bass run workouts that got boring after a while. At one point, a young fan handed Thundercat a drawing, which he gushed over and dedicated a song to the artist. Not to be outdone, a young woman hopped on stage, hugged Thundercat for an awkwardly long time, proclaimed she was a singer and grabbed the mic. Security had all it could do to delicately shoo her off. I know I’m old, but on several occasions Thundercat asked the crowd; “Y’all know_____ (famous youtuber), or Y’all know _______ (recently deceased comedian), or Y’all like Manga? I can safely say No to all these questions, which put me in the minority in the crowd. Thundercat is definitely a talented bass player, bubbling with creativity, but the show left me longing for more Stanley Clarke and less Kendrick Lamar sideman.

Matmos w/ Jeff Carey 8/10/22 Statehouse

 Wow. Where to begin. I guess at the beginning. Entered the show at the start of Maryland-based Jeff Carey’s set. Carey is a solo electronic artist/ engineer who built his electro-noise “ instrument”. The instrument was a table that had a joystick, an Akai light up square keypad, and what looked like a push button phone pad. These were all connected to a computer that offered a real time feedback looping thing. His left hand used the keypads, while his right hand bent the “notes” with the joystick. The table had a single leg that Jeff straddled as if he was riding some futuristic electronic mechanical bull. In addition, Jeff designed two banks of piercing, pulsating, LED lights that eplileptically sputtered behind him that were also connected to the sound. The lights were so harsh it made it difficult to look straight at him. After his set, I chatted with Jeff about his truly original art. After my eye roll-inducing comment about his ability to play Minecraft and music simultaneously, we talked about the lighting, and how if I watched with my eyes closed, it lent a surreal trippy quality to the show.

Matmos, an electro-acoustic duo from Baltimore, have been occupying the fringes since the late 90s. MC Martin Schmidt was the lead man and audience engager, while Drew Daniel was the multi-laptop operating knob twiddler. Let’s start with the name, we learned that Matmos spelled backward sounds like a person with a drawl saying “sometime”. The set started with Martin speaking on the ills of plastic, he then produces a large plastic pill, a capsule, and begins to play it, pulling it apart and tapping it, while Drew looped and augmented the sound. The next “tune” started with Martin speaking on the ills of bad music, he then produces a vinyl album by the 70s soft rock purveyors Bread. I was more than happy to egg the crowd into a “Fuck Bread” chant. Martin proceeds to smash the record and then starts playing the shards by thumb pianoing them off his table under a contact mic. The next piece had them handing out two dozen egg shaker rattles to audience members (I was “lucky” enough to be a recipient), we then went back to our place in the crowd and were instructed to shake as we saw fit in response to the beats. The duo had hand held looping devices then snaked through the crowd recording shaker snippets as they passed by us. Next up was an experience in “six channel” sound with an excellent video backdrop and some recorded spoken word from a female polish electronic artist. The final tune, and premise of their new record, was their take on the works of Polish composer Boguslaw Schaeffer. Schaeffer, who died in 2019, left a body of work in the experimental classical realm. Fanboys Matmos were able to obtain the rights to his music (Drew said “who would have thought that the Polish government would pay two faggots from the US to interpret his music?) The result was a fascinating piece that had Martin on slide acoustic treated guitar and Drew on beats. A pastoral video backdrop gave off a Philip Glass vibe. At the end, Martin called out audience members and said “they were on the team” as if we were being picked to play in some futuristic kickball game….. on Mars.

Jake Blount Edgewood Park 8/7/22

 Afternoon show put on by CT Folk at the usually sketchy, but pleasant on this day, Edgewood Park. Jake Blount is a young string band aficionado who I seem to recall being a student or protege of The Carolina Chocolate Drops. I came early to hear Blount give a talk on the history of African American string band music. Blount, from Virginia, spoke on the smash of cultures as Africans were put on slave ships traveling with Europeans across the Atlantic. This melting pot set the stage for some of the string band and Appalachian music that makes the foundation for blues, rock, and rhythm and blues. Blount, who plays fiddle, banjo, and guitar, spoke about the banjo reaching a wide audience because they could be purchased from the Sears catalog. Blount took a break after his talk then returned for a nice set of tunes, originals and traditionals. I think I heard Elizabeth Cotten’s Bollweavil Blues. Blount told a story of being asked to share the stage withTaj Mahal at the recent Newport Folk in a tribute to Pete Seeger. Nice concert, in the shade, on this 90 degree day.

Oneida w/ More Klementines 8/5/22 Statehouse

 Caught the full set from More Klementines, a trio with guitar, drums, and guitar/lap something. Sheets of sound, drones and pedal inflected noise invaded the space. One guitarman switched over to some sort of a lap steel although he did not use a slide. I’m calling it a lap-zither for lack of a better term. Post rock sound with thundering active drummer. Lapzither thought it would be a good idea to “sing” the last tune.

Oneida have been positively reviewed in this blog before. Brooklyn denizens that are the grandpapppies of  the independent music scene bubbling from that borough. Been around since the late 90s forging an original mix of punk, prog, and krautrock. Held down by extraordinary drummer Kid Millions, this guys furious pace drives the outing. Rhythm guitar/vocals, lead guitar, moog operator, and lead singer who played keys, bass, and sang. The moog dude didn’t move the entire evening, he may have been made of cardboard. Lead singer had the punky synth pop vocal thing going, he appeared to be in a trance for a good rendition of Cockfight. If I google correctly, lead guy on guitar goes by the name Hanoi Jane, which is ironic cuz his fills were… bombs… of sound. More punk and less prog than I remember, played to an entirely underwhelming crowd of 50, for a Friday night.

Newport Jazz Festival 7/30/22 Fort Adams Newport

 Opted for the Saturday lineup of this storied festival. As mentioned previously, Newport Jazz recently shed its KennyGisms ( that’s Kenny G isms, as opposed to G sperm). Made it through the gauntlet in time to catch a few tunes by drummer Makaya McCraven a young lion with an excellent band. MM is a prolific artist and producer, who NPR has called the vitality of jazz. Next up is British sax phenom Shabaka Hutchings and his group The Sons of Kemet. Hutchings, Theon Cross on tuba, and two drummers brought the frenetic racket. Hutchings is in many groups that range from rave, groove, and straight jazz. SH wore a butchers apron which was apt as he carved his solos. Had to be hot playing tuba on a high 80s sunny day. Axeman Cory Wong played next. Drums, Funky Bass, trumpet, trombone, saxes, and organ made for a funky outing. Wong is an excellent picker and was quick to point out that this is the one festival where the artist has the better view, as he gazed out on Newport bay. Bassist Esperanza Spaulding came next. She glitchily warbled through one tune and didn’t let the audience in on why the stop/starts. Covered Bowie’s Wild Is The Wind. Hutchings guested on some tasteful clarinet. Second stage had Joe Lovano Trio that should have had the legendary Jack DeJohnette on drums. Jack had Covid and missed the show. Google Lovano and then look for the muppet sax player, separated at birth. On to the inside the fort stage for singer Cecile Mclorin Salvant. Great voice, stage presence, and outfits on this young woman. Did a Kurt Weill tune, a Diane Reeves cover, and a song by Gregory Porter, excellent set. Final group on the main stage was Cory Wong and the Fearless Flyers. Wong on guitar, a dude from Wulfpeck on baritone guitar, bass, and Nate Smith on drums. After an incoherent drunken rant from a former manager, the group choogled through a good closing set. Speedy Reeling In The Years was the highlight

Evolfo w/ Tines 7/28/22 Cafe 9

 Tines are a local group of indie rockers. Tonight was a record release party for them so girlfriends and relatives were in tow. Decent quartet with drums, bass, lead guitar, singer and rhythm guitar. At one point they gave off a Luna-vibe. Nerdy lead guitar reminded me of Rick Nielsen from Cheap Trick.

Evolfo was a six piece psych-rock outfit from Brooklyn. I was glad to arrive in time to watch them try to fit on the tiny C9 stage, It was like watching someone “ try to stuff a pair of Levis into a shot glass”. Big fella on sax, keys/ synths, drums, bass, lead guitar/trumpet, and lead man on vocals/guitar. I realized that Evolfo spelled backwards is Oflove, but the crew made no mention. Nice set of psychedelic jams dotted with good vocals from lead guy who was able to whirling dervish a bit even with the cramped quarters. “Fans also like” category on Spotify has Latin psych band Mystic Braves, which is a good comparison. Slow burn synth jam was a highlight.

Green River Festival 6/25/22 Franklin County Fairgrounds Greenfield MA

 First time for me at the GRF new location after years at the sprawling expanse of the Community College in town. The setup was similar with two stages and many familiar food and vendor booths. The presence of many outbuildings and blacktop added a few degrees to the 90 degree day. Main stage started with Steve Poltz, a goofy man with an acoustic. He did one tune with many baseball references that I’m sure sailed over the head of many listeners. Matthew Fowler on stage 2, was a soft folkie that had the added benefit of two female clarinetist. Parsonfield I believe is a local outfit with more soft folk vibes. Next up was The Dip, a Seattle 7 piece, had a good R and B vibe like a bar band from back in the day. It was good to see a bunch of young white guys carrying the torch. Rayland Baxter was next. A hard touring troubadour with nice guitar chops, I notice his prominence among the young record buying public. Check Baxter on the Spotify “sounds like” section and you get Blitzentrapper and Langhorne Slim who have been positively reviewed in this blog. Baxter’s guitar work and signature trucker hat and high top Converse jammed for a good set. Brooklyn afrobeat collective Kaleta and the Super Yamba was next. Like Antibalas, KSY has an  African frontman surrounded by hipster afrobeat acolytes. These guys can play and the pale bean pole percussionist had an excellent solo. Main stage had Ripe, a jammy outfit that appears on many festival lists. Not sure why young people take the musical detritus from the 80s and 90s and incorporate it in their sound, but Ripe had the bright idea to cover Phil Collins “Sussudio”. I’m embarrassed to have had to look up the spelling on that one, maybe their parents put them in “time out” and forced them to listen to Phil (Collins not Lesh). Festival highlight was up next, Cha Wa. This multicultural group was from Nawlins and had the benefit of two Big Chief frontmen. A purple one and a teal one complete with full garb and head dress. They strutted and cowbelled their way through a rolling set with some originals and a nice All on a Mardi Gras Day. They stated that Cha Wa means “here they come”, which was apt and the horns and band put out a full danceable sound. Closing the day was regional group Lake Street Dive. I’ve seen this group perform many times at the Vibes festivals of yore, and they haven’t seemed to have evolved much. Frontwoman singer is capable and the band is solid, but they seem more suited for filler than closer. Nice cover of the Jackson’s I Want You Back and Bonnie Raitt’s Nick Of Time rounded out the evening.

Gregory Porter 6/19/22 New Haven Green

 Grammy award winning soul jazz singer Porter graces the green for a  juneteenth evening show. As part of the International Festival of Arts and Ideas, Porter’s baritone blend of socially conscious tunes engaged a solid crowd. The band was piano, standup bass, sax,drums, and organ. Porter is comfortable scatting, crooning, or covering soul nuggets. On this Father’s Day evening,we got a little Papa Was a Rolling Stone, My Girl, and some Stevie Wonder medley. Porter’s Take Me ToThe Alley and Water Under The Bridge were both excellent. Happy to see a racially diverse, attentive crowd take advantage of this free show.

Dopapod 6/18/22 Spaceland Ballroom

 Jam band Dopapod was slated to open for George Clinton at College Street Music Hall. George cancelled (hair snafu?, blown piston on the Mothership?), and Dopapod took the hippie circus to Spaceland. The configuration reminded me of jam greats of the early aughts. Dexterous drumming, muscular bass, active keyboards (notably a Moog), noodly guitar and vocals topped with a generous helping of sophomoric lyrics. The packed house was into it, with fans bobbing to the lyrics and clapping percussively at just the right time. Two full sets of music is standard in the jam scene, and Dopapod didn’t disappoint. Interplay between keys and guitar was the highlight. I usually like a band like this to end with a well crafted cover, which did not occur. Good show of old fashioned jam.

Kraftwerk 6/10/22 MassMoca North Adams MA

 In what world is it ok for a quartet of 70-somethings to don graph paper jumpsuits, plug in a mess of synthesizers, travel halfway around the world, and play a set of seminal techno in a converted gas mask factory, in 3D, on my birthday, with my family, in German no less…..uh, Kraftwerk’s world, that’s who. German electronic pioneers, Kraftwerk put the Tech in techno, the Sour in Krautrock starting in the 70s with the transatlantic smash Autobahn. The opening thrum of that tune caught a little Andy’s ear in 1974, affording the same allure and danger as the shark approaching sounds of Jaws. Move forward to 1981, in college, and the release of Computerworld. With its cheesy Tandy computer on the cover, this record was so different than the punk and disco offerings at the time, spouting things like “computers are the future”, and “protect your data”… yeah right. Dance and rave culture came next, Kraftwerk’s The Model was a club hit and was sampled and covered by a wide variety of acts. On this evening, in front of a sold out MassMoca crowd, the 2022 incarnation of Kraftwerk took the stage. Four guys behind glow in the dark podia of synths, it looked like final Jeopardy in an alternate reality. Behind them was a monster screen that spewed futuristic images when viewed with your 3D glasses, trains, spaceships, numbers, Tour de France riders and the like all popped out. While the music can be criticized as “samey”, there are no windmill guitar riffs or backflips off a stack of Marshall’s, the prophetic consistency through the years garner the allegiance and praise they deserve. Recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, it was a rare treat to see this pillar of rock in a live setting.

Maurice Louca w/ Stefan Christensen and Friends 5/27/22 Cafe 9

 Local lefty axe wielder Stefan took the stage with Alexander (aka Dave Shapiro), and a drummer/ circuit bender. These guys are all part of the local avant psych collective that includes Headroom and The Mountain Movers. Shapiro also spends time stocking the shelves at local record emporium Redscroll. The boys sent the crowd covering their ears and heading toward the exit with an air raid level feedback assault. Noise and drone were deafening, even the headliner who was parked in front of me, got his drink and went outside. The squall was attenuated by the circuit bender, who had an upright box filled with lights and wires, it looked as if he was playing Battleship on a Lite-Brite. “Song” number two was a fluid jammer that had Shapiro moving to bass and Christensen talk singing some parts. The effect was True Story-era David Byrne mashed with a Weasel Walter style guitar freakout which pulled patrons back from the smoking section.

Louca is a Cairo based “sound collagist”. He appeared on stage with a guitar and table with a couple of laptops and several sound boxes. He started with light repetitive guitar work that had a distinct North African feel. Moving to the electronics emitted some squelchy sequences. Couldn’t help but think this music was perfect for some documentary or even horror film. The noises were varied, one sounded like a Good Humor truck being run over by a steamroller, another sequence sounded like a bagpiper being pushed off a cliff, two horror films in the making I guess. At one point, Louca switched to a lap slide setup (lap-oud maybe?), and seemed very accomplished with the slide. Louca also plays in the globetrotting Dwarves of East Aghouza with Sun City Girl Alan Bishop and Sam Shalabi. The set rolled like a dream, careening from one set of noise to quieter passages. Unlike anything I’ve seen before, which is a box seldom checked.

Elephant Stone 5/20/22 Cafe 9

 Montreal psych pop outfit Elephant Stone makes a stop in New Haven. Led by Rishi Dhir on bass, vocals and sitar, this Canadian quartet were the real deal. Garage, psychedelic, paisley underground, this is an under-appreciated genre that conjures moptop coeds frugging to the jangly beat. Dhir, assisted by keys/synths, guitar and drums brought a lot of sound. Retro yet modern, Dhir’s soaring vocals were a treat. The group played a few songs from their recent pandemic inspired EP ( sung in French) a song cycle about a guy who thinks quarantine still has too much human contact and takes a rocket to the moon. The Electric Prunes, The Seeds, The Amboy Dukes ( fronted by current right wing nutjob Ted Nugent), were prevalent in the ES sound. The sitar is an amazing instrument and it is rare to get an up close viewing. Dhir had a small platform where he sat cross legged, while feverishly plucking. The sitar stance almost looked like a yoga pose. Should have been a larger crowd to appreciate this excellent international act.

Low Cut Connie 5/18/22 Spaceland Ballroom

 Low Cut Connie is the brainchild of Philly ex-teacher Adam Weiner. Adam proclaimed that he “loves all of you motherfuckers” then launched into a sweaty set of straight up rock and roll. Weiner plays piano, you heard right, piano. He tours with this beat up honky tonk piano that I noticed had handles and straps so as to load into the van and stages. It is instrument and prop, Weiner plays in, on, and around the thing, rolling around on top or humping the sides, the piano is in the band. Weiner looks like an inner city Jerry Lee Lewis as he sweats and dives through the set. He is joined by guitar, bass, drums, percussion, and two scantily clad female backup singers ( one played fiddle and rhythm guitar). The music is high energy, with one song teasing Shotgun and then Bang a Gong. The ladies were a sight, writhing and shimmying to compliment Adam, it gave some songs an almost Meatloafian veneer. I’m noticing that musicians are so grateful to be back in front of a live audience, this guy thrives on the personal contact, high fiving anyone who got near him. Good crowd, with an element of fans who knew the word to every song. In the bio of LCC, it seems that he has a superfan in Elton John and Obama.

Sun Ra Tribute Concert 5/11/22 Best Video

 How lucky to be able to attend an outdoor tribute to jazz pianist and legendary intergalactic traveler Herman Sonny Blount aka Sun Ra. Ra famously claimed to be from Saturn piloting his Arkestra through jazz, R and B, spoken word, and any other medium he could lay his hands on. He is too multidimensional to describe here, but for the uninitiated, please Google and YouTube this master bandleader. The tribute concert was helmed by local guitarist Mykael Ross, joined by sax, trumpet, drums, congas, bass, and ofcourse keyboards (both Prophet and Korg).The band was proficient in paying homage, with guitar and bass holding down the affair. The breadth of material is vast as Ra released hundreds of recordings, with posthumous recordings coming fast and furious. On this evening, the set list included: I’ll Wait for You, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, Sunology, Sunrise. Show highlight was an excellent rendering of Space is The Place. The crowd was safely returned to earth after a brief and welcome tour of the galaxy.

Jonathan Kreisberg Trio 4/21/22 Sudler Hall at Yale

 The Yale Undergraduate Jazz Collective has done it again. A loose collection of jazz nerds assemble a spring festival to celebrate jazz. On this evening, guitar wizard Kreisberg along with drums and standup bass was the offering. Kreisberg’s bio showed him holding down guitar duties for the late great polychromatic-turbanned Dr. Lonnie Smith. Smith died last September so Kreisberg struck out on his own. Nice evening of mainly standards showcased the fluid style of the hollow body guitar. In the style of Wes Montgomery or George Benson, the trio played How Deep is the Ocean, a speedy Moonlight in Vermont, You and the Night and the Music, and Easy Living. Closed with and excellent version of My Favorite Things.

Les Filles de Illighadad w/ DJ Shaki 4/12/22 Cafe 9

 Delighted to see DJ Shaki aka Rick Omonte back in the show promoting game. For those locals too young to remember, before there was Manic Mark of Manic Productions, there was Rick of DJ Shaki presents. Rick presented countless interesting, usually world beat inflected shows around town. In addition to his duties as bass player in local psych legends Headroom, Rick is a dj who spun records as a warmup to this show.

Les Filles de Illighadad is a quartet of women from Niger who play the signature style of  “ desert blues” popularized by Tinawaren and Mdou Moctar. Guitars, chanting, and simple percussion lead to a hypnotic blend of world music transporting the listener to a bazaar on the edge of the Sahara. Dressed in their traditional garb, with one member performing in full face covering hijab, these women gave New Haven listeners a taste of their craft. An egalitarian affair, the members took turns leading the charge. I’m reminded of a snippet from a Mdou Moctar show where his handler explained that he had to make his own guitar and practice in secret for fear of religious reprisal. Imagine then, the artistic journey taken by four women in the same circumstances. Very enjoyable listen. I wished there was some interpreter to put the songs in context, but not surprised that these trailblazing musicians have the confidence to power across the globe on their own. Merci beaucoup.

Gobruccio with Stephen Haynes 3/10/22 Best Video

Legend has it that Bob Gorry, guitarist and “Go” in Gobruccio, rode the train to NYC and happened upon avant- cornetist Haynes. Gorry going to study composition with Butch Morris, and Haynes doing time with Cecil Taylor, I’m assuming the conversation veered far from sports and weather. On this evening, a small crowd got a glimpse of spontaneous improv. With Gobruccio acting as the “rhythm” section, the group played a series of pieces. Pete Brunelli on fretless bass, and Pete Riccio on spare drums accompanied Gorry and Haynes. Haynes played cornet and what looked like a flugelhorn using a variety of mutes, flowerpots, and cookware to attenuate the sound. This music must be seen live to appreciate the interplay, glad to have it back.

Robert Randolph and The Family Band 3/4/22 Mohegan Sun Wolf Den

 Close your eyes, and conjure the notion of a free show in the heart of a casino. If poor sight lines, questionable sound, and throngs of O2 tank-tethered oldsters dropping their life savings into slots comes to mind, you’d be wrong. Many of the shows that grace this stage, are acts in the twilight of their career, Herman’s Hermits and the following nights headliner….Charo. So it was with amazement that I was able to view sacred steel guitar wiz RR, from a good vantage point, with excellent sound, and only a whiff of elderly slot seepage. Randolph plays a sit down pedal steel guitar ( unless he breaks multiple strings as on this evening), joined by the “family” on bass, another guitar, and drums. When strings break, he switches to a strap-on axe that has the same style of perpendicular to your body arrangement as the sit down variety. Seems like this is a pretty common occurrence, cuz we saw the roady move with pit-crew speed to restore, twice. Shows start promptly at 8 and run till 930, perfect interval for these guys to show their chops. Started with Skip James (a la Cream) I’m So Glad. Moved into an excellent Outside Woman Blues. Next stop was funk, some originals, great bass solo that I’m sure teased One Nation Under a Groove. Moved on to the War chestnut Me And Baby Brother. A Hendrix section ensued with Red House and then Foxey Lady. Randolph said he was happy to see people’s smiling faces again, even teasing Vanilla Fudges “set me free” section of You Keep Me Hanging On. So whether it is the Hoochie Coochie of Robert Randolph or the Cuchi Cuchi of Charo, consider me a new fan of this venue.

Bonobo with Jordan Rakei 2/23/22 College Street Music Hall

 Ambient, trance, trip hop, downtempo, acid jazz. Does anyone out there know what these terms mean? (I always thought the last one was munching a handful of blotter and listening to Bitches Brew) The descriptors thrown around in the electronic world are dizzying to the point of confusion. The two artists that I review here fall under the electronic umbrella. They are internationally popular and garnered a pretty full crowd, problem is, this music, by definition, wants to be relegated to the background.

New Zealand born, London based Rakei is a multi-instrumentalist. He had keyboards and sang honey voiced tunes that approximated muzak with a backbeat.

Bonobo is the brainchild of  dj and producer Simon Green. He has produced and worked with such luminaries as Erykah Badu and Gorillaz, with some Grammy nominations in the mix. Green had keyboards and decks and played bass. He was joined by guitar, flute/sax, drums, another keyboard, and occasional female singer. While that may seem like a pretty full band, the music it produced didn’t engage, and maybe that’s the point. Club music is a backdrop for dancing, checking your phone, and chatting with your friends. The show was billed as Fragments Live, Bonobo’s recent album with Rakei guesting. They did a full set, and judging by the head bobs in the crowd, a decent rendering. I genuinely like this music, and don’t mean to dog the musicians, but I’m used to live music that engages. Maybe if I danced more, checked my phone more, and chatted with my friends more, this show would have come into focus.

Ryley Walker 1/20/22 Cafe 9

 It takes a certain amount of grit and determination to power through touring in a pandemic. Ryley Walker has that covered. This tour warrior has been in the area multiple times recently, the most recent was an opening slot for Dinosaur Jr at CSMH ( I did not attend, you’re welcome ears). Walker has also released 5 recordings in the past year, mostly collaborations with like- minded avant noodlers. On this evening, the setup was a trio with Walker on a wide array of guitars, with big fella on bass and drums. Started the show with Popeyes Garage, then Shiva’s Dustpan. Walker’s inter-song banter is hilarious, kind of like the rapid fire musings of Robyn Hitchcock as shot through the lens of the TV show Shameless. He went off on this story about how he makes so much from royalties that allows him to send his fake son Rupert to an Ivy League education, only to find him experimenting with meth and K2. He also said he was in New Haven once and saw “Third Eye Blind on the quad” and chanted “no new stuff” at them, a story that sound highly suspect. The group rolled a 7 minute skronk into a great version of The Halfwit in Me, followed by an excellent Roundabout. He told the crowd to buy some vinyl and “ give it to your uncle who has lost touch with reality”. Closed with Primrose Green, some songs never get tired.